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Cooperation
between Winlink & Mobile Marine Nets
Winlink
is not a standalone – it is closely linked with other nets
QUOTE ANYONE
WHO IS RADIO SAVVY PLEASE CONTACT THE MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE NET. TIME:
06:46 MAY 09, 2003 SITUATION:
Something broke in the top of the mast. Now none of the I
did manage to use an electric winch to pull down the Mainsail. I then attached a
block and temporary halyard. The main is up again. My concern is that these
lines may chafe in half. I will motor north, attempting to pick up the northeast
trades at 04-30 degs N. I have only 85 gallons of fuel left and am using 1.5 gal
per hour. I will need fuel in 40 hours. There are no shipping lanes near. I
monitor 14300.00 MHz 20:00 to 24:00 GMT also 19:00 14297.00. UNQUOTE Translating
this for the layperson: Here’s a cruiser sailing his boat all by himself near
the equator about 700 miles of the coast of Brazil. Under the best conditions it
could take him up to a week to reach land. His headsail, a large Genoa, is
stuck, as is the pole that holds it out from the mast to catch wind. That part
of the Atlantic Ocean can be absolutely or nearly wind still, hence the use of
the large out-poled Genoa sail. It can also have roaring winds and huge waves.
If he cannot control the sail, he cannot control the direction in which he wants
the boat to sail. As
long as there is no wind he’ll just be drifting along on the current. However,
if strong winds suddenly pop up, he’ll be at the mercy of the winds and waves.
With a large sail up that cannot be doused, he could capsize. In the attempt to
save himself he would have to cut the sail away starting maybe as high as 60
feet up the mast. He has enough fuel for his engine to motor no more than 40
hours, say, at best for two days. That quantity of fuel is enough for getting in
and out of harbors but not enough to get out of trouble 700 miles offshore and,
who knows, traveling an even greater distance to a safe harbor. Jim, the sailor on the vessel
Feisty Lady, with US Documentation, #914552, doesn’t want to call “May
Day” because he is not in immediate danger of losing life or his vessel.
Instead he sends a “Pan-Pan”, a lower level of emergency call. Wisely, via Winlink
he asks for radio amateurs on the Mobile Marine Nets to stay in touch with him
until either he can get fuel from a nearby vessel or, if weather conditions
worsen, seek other assistance. He’s an experienced sailor, calm and in
control. Winlink
is not a standalone system. It has direct electronic links to many Mobile Marine
Nets around the world. These nets spring immediately into action upon receipt of
a Winlink Emergency message. Tom (VE3II) passed the message on, among others, to
Alfredo (IK6IJF) with the following addition: “Hello
Alfredo, The attached message is from Jim EL0BF on the SV Fiesty Lady. Jim has
more problems now. He has lost his forestay and jib. His main sail is still jammed and he says the only way he can
take it down is to destroy it. He
also reports that he has 800 miles of fuel but 1400 miles to the nearest port.
He wanted me to send you this information so that you are aware. Ciao, Tom
VE3II, Assistant Net Manager, Maritime Mobile Service Network” Alfredo,
an amateur operator of the Italian Amateur Radio Maritime net (www.qsl.net/ik6ijf),
is among several others who play a lead role in coordinating continuous radio
contact with Feisty Lady. As is the practice, he kept a log of the
communications that occurred. Here is part of the record: He
writes: "In our Logbook we entered a contact with Jim on 01 May 2003
he was underway from Ascension Island to Trinidad, he requested us to pass him
some WX (Weather Information). We received further calls from Jim on the
following days and all was OK on board." On
the 10th May I received a copy of a message via Winlink describing the "Pan – Pan" with a
request to mobilize the Maritime Mobile Nets. Alfredo
continues: “After the reception of the above message I decided to wait
for Jim’s instructions before announcing a distress; especially because at the
end of the message Jim said: “I do not want to declare an emergency at this
time! Only alert”. During my next contact with Jim, we established a plan, I requested Jim to be on the Net every evening to report his position, course, speed and situation on board. I also asked Jim to send me an email via Winlink if he needed our assistance outside the Marine Net. We agreed that I would provide him WX info. especially to let Jim have an idea of the weather in his area so he could take the necessary precautions to avoid further damage to the sails and avoid compromising his safety. Before
closing the Net I informed the Italian Coast Guard in Rome about the situation
with Feisty Lady, I told them that Mr. Jim could sail without assistance but
that I would inform the Italian Coast Guard about developments, especially as
Jim had not much fuel on board and was far from the coast. The Italian Coast
Guard agreed to a rescue operation if it was necessary. I
received another message from Tom (VE2II): “Hi
Alfredo, OK on the Italian authorities. Well, I do not think there is a lot that
they could do since he is off the coast of Brazil but they could relay the
information to the appropriate authority. Jim is for now OK and making his way
into port. I'm sure that he may be
able to get refueled by a passing ship but if the wind is good, he can turn off
the engine and sail. 73s Alfredo. Tom.” During
the next following days we had a daily contacts with Jim. All was more or less
OK on board, even though he had more problems with the sails but had been able
to fix that problem. Eventually, Jim arrived on 26 May in Chaguramas. Many
friends were waiting for him as Jim is a well-known guy around the Caribbean. Just
before Jim’s arrival I received a message from Trudi (8P6QM): “Hallo
Alfredo, When I talked to Jim on 40m this morning, 11.00Z, he had only 5 nm to
go to Chaguaramas in Trinidad. He asked me to specially thank you very much for
all your help. He sounded very happy, and there were friends looking forward to
seeing him, he’s a very popular fellow! Very best wishes from Trudi - 8P6QM”. After Jim's safe arrival in
Chaguramas, I informed the Italian Coast Guard so they could close the Alert. The
last message received from Jim EL0BF, after his arrival, is as follows: “Hello
Alfrado: Yes, I am safe in port at Chaguarmas Bay Trinidad. It
was my pleasure to meet you this way and your help was needed. Thank you. We are
busy now but will find time to make contact in the future. Hello to Steve,
kg4mqz. Bye Bye. Jim” Reported
by: ITALIAN
AMATEUR RADIO MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE Readers
could ask “What’s so special about this event”. It turned out OK and no
life or property was lost. However, it could, of course, have been much worse as
in the case reporting the sinking of SY MAPEMA (it probably foundered because it
hit a floating object like a container in mid-Atlantic). However, what is truly
notable about this story is the presence of mind of the skipper to send an
initial alert via Winlink. The Marine Mobile Nets are open for traffic only a
few hours per day and than usually in the evening hours only. AussieWinlink
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